the glass factory.           
                                        
                                        
                                      
                                  
                                  
                                          
 several  centuries  after  it  had  last 
 belonged to us,  we went on an outing to 
 the glass factory  that  bore our family 
 name. it had changed  owners  many times 
 since  our  ancestors  death,  and  then 
 stood  abandoned  for   a  long   while. 
 finally,  the  natural end  station  for 
 the  buildings that  survive: a  museum, 
 and a gift shop.                         
                                          
 there's a  long  time  since  my  family 
 made  anything.  by  many,  we would  be 
 considered poor.                         
                                          
 there  are two  main factory  buildings, 
 domed things of several  floors, made in 
 yellow brick. large but  narrow windows, 
 reminescent     of    some    cathedral. 
 custom-made  glass, of course, large and 
 leaded, and ashen. a  bit too dark to be 
 practical.   on  the  eastern  building, 
 some are shattered.                      
                                          
 the other one is  publicly open. there's 
 a  museum, with wax figures of  my great 
 great great  grandfather,  or something. 
 various tools (or replicas)  laid out on 
 tables, with explaining texts. a lot  of 
 glass      of     varying     thickness. 
                                          
                                        
                                      
                          
                                      
                                        
                                          
 i quickly sneak out, and climb  into the 
 other    building.   the   contrast   is 
 overwhelming.   it   must   have   stood 
 derelict   for  a   long  time,  windows 
 broken,  metallic  trash  and  pools  of 
 dark  glass  all   over  the  floor.  no 
 electric  lights, but i can  see  by the 
 light  that shines in wherever  the dark 
 windows    are    missing    a     pane. 
                                          
 however, the  greatest difference is the 
 higher floors: this building  has  none. 
 it is  one massive hall, stretching away 
 infinitely  above me. somewhere up there 
 is  some  great  iron  latticework, from 
 where  chains are  suspended, and  parts 
 of  machinery  has  been  falling  down. 
                                          
 there is, in  the  middle  of  the great 
 hall,  a  thin   spiral  staircase  that 
 leads up there. i  sneak over there, and 
 take a few  reluctant steps. after  just 
 a  revolution, i notice  that  for  each 
 step  the building  starts to glow,  the 
 bricks  turning  a dark  red,  and  then 
 orange,  all the  piled up  debree being 
 lit from behind.                         
                                          
 i stop ready to run down  and  out,  but 
 there's  someone else  on the  staircase 
 with   me  now,  pressed   close.   he's 
 looking  like  me,  short hair and  thin 
 arms, but  with ears from  some  animal, 
 and more  disturbingly, completely  made 
 of dark liquid glass.                    
                                          
                                        
                                      
                          
                                      
                                        
                                          
 my  fear  holds  me  in  place while  he 
 starts operating  levers  and dials  set 
 in the center of the  staircase. slowly, 
 it  starts  spinning, circling  upwards. 
 it's   an  elevator!   i  start  to  run 
 downwards,   but  now  the  liquid   boy 
 creature grabs  hold  of  me.  i try  to 
 shake him off, but he's too strong,  and 
 pulls   me    back   up   beside    him. 
                                          
 this time,  i  turn angry  instead. what 
 the hell? who is  this guy,  acting like 
 this? i reach out my free arm  and  slam 
 a  random  lever.  some  metal  bar   is 
 suddenly  released between  us,  hitting 
 him on  the arm,  forcing  my release. i 
 shove him  off of me, and  he falls into 
 the    levers,    messing    them    up. 
 immediately,   a  thin  rusty  chainmail 
 curtain  is dropped  around  me. but the 
 elevator  also  speeds up significantly. 
                                          
 the  walls  are   flaring  now,  yellow, 
 white, almost blue.  i close my eyes and 
 curl into  a  ball. but then, the  glass 
 boy  screams,  a   piercing  sound  that 
 forces  my eyes back open. i watch as he 
 becomes  too  liquid,  his body  pooling 
 down in his  now  massive tail,  and the 
 tip of it suddenly breaks  of in a glass 
 drop  that  falls  toward  the   factory 
 floor.                                   
                                          
 he's crawling on the  stairs,  unable to 
 keep  his body upright. can't reach  the 
 levers,  claws  at  my  chainmail  cage, 
 while  his  body is  turning  into  dark 
 pearls. finally,  he's  lost too much of 
 himself and  the  scream  is cut  short. 
 the    last    of   him   rains    down. 
                                          
 i still  can't  reach  the  levers  from 
 within  my cage. looking  up,  i  try to 
 make out  the ceiling,  but it's  all  a 
 whirling sea of colours. below me  glows 
 the hellfire of the  factory  walls, but 
 very  faint.  i sit  down, curl back up, 
 become still.                            
                                          
                                        
                                      
                          
                                      
                                        
                                          
 a large  clunk  shakes  my entire  body, 
 and  snaps  me  back  into  reality. i'm 
 back  at  the  factory  floor,  but  the 
 stairs  are   still   moving   slightly, 
 clicking in place, carrying  me the last 
 few  centimeters.  i  came  from  below, 
 somehow.  the  chainmail  is  retracted, 
 and  i   slowly  dismount   the  stairs. 
                                          
 shaking and crying, i make  my way  over 
 the factory  floor, wading  through dark 
 glass marbles. a quick  glance down, and 
 i  see there's  something  faint  inside 
 them.    embryos?   are    these   eggs? 
                                          
 i   shudder,   and   climb   back   out.